I just want to say that I agree 100% with Amnesty International’s open letter to Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety and Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

You are government ministers of Canada, and indeed of all Canadians. You are overstepping your bounds both legally and morally in placing peoples’ photos and names on a list on a website and asking other Canadians to ‘report’ on them when all facts regarding them are not presented. The people identified are being declared guilty rather than innocent before they have had a right to a fair trial.

As the AI letter correctly says:

‘Amnesty International is concerned about the fact that these cases have been so widely publicized in the context of the lower standards of proof and less rigorous rules of evidence that apply in immigration proceedings.’

Instead, the higher standards of criminal law should be applied to these cases which would actually deal with evidence and even allow for prosecution where crimes have been committed but would also protect innocent people from being sent to torture or death.

This ‘making of a list’ smacks too strongly of the totalitarian practices of Stalin and Hitler and which still go on in places like Colombia and other places where there is conflict. Canada along with the world community has long condemned these kinds of practices .

As Ministers of the Crown you need to remove these people’s names and photos from this website and instead apply due process of Canadian law to these cases.

Right now you are making Canada an embarrassment in the world, and more importantly, some of those on the ‘list’ who turn out to be innocent will actually be killed or have their reputations ruined forever.

I want a reply indicating when you will take down this website list and apply Canadian due process of law to these cases.